Method of manufacturing cylinders for dissolved acetylene



@HAMEL E. SKINNER AND reir A CRIIPORATION 0F NEW YQEK.'

METHOD 0F MANUFACTURING CYLINDE EUR DISSQLWED ACETYLENE.

To all whom it may concern Be it' known that we, @HAMEL H. SKINNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, Marion County, and State of indiana, and HENRY SIDNEY SMITH, a citizen of Great Britain, residing at indianapolis, Marion County, and State of llndiana, have invented and discovered .certain new and useful improvements in Method of Manufacturing Cylinders for Dissolved Acetylene, of which the following is a specification. i

ln the manufacture of tanks or c linders for containing dissolved acetylene it is necessary to completely fill the cylinders with a porous material of known porosity. llt has been customary heretofore to fill the cylinders with porous material in the form of porous blocks made from appropriate material such as fibres of asbestos cemented together by silicate of soda or other appropriate ceramic adhesive or with a porous ceramic filling mixed with charcoal or a like substance and asbestos which is filled into the tank or cylinders in a pasty condition,

would be injurious to the porous blocks, hy-

draulic testing is impractical. Pneumatic testing is objectionable. When the pasty ceramic porous filling is employed, it has been the practice to employ cylinders with af small opening in the end (which hole later receives the valve) similar to those employed for carbon dioxide or oxygen. These cylinders can be tested hydraulically before the filling in of the porous substance, but 'the filling in of the porous substance through the small opening inthe end has been found to be a tedious and expensive process.

The purpose of our said invention is to provide a method of placing a porous pasty ceramic lling material in a cylinder through a large opening and permit of hydraulic testing of the cylinder after the large opening Specication of )Letters Patent.

Application med. July 5,

Patenten ret., ai, ieee.

1916. Serial lie. ltid.

tion to be better understood, the accompanying drawing is made a part hereot and will be referred vto herein.

lin said drawing, Figure l represents the steel shell S after it has been inished and is ready for filling, the heads of the shell being f shown alongside vthereof.

ln filling said shellV in accordance with our process, a. suitable packer is employed,

such asiilliistratefd in Figure 2. Said packer consists oit` a shell-10, with a hopper-like top containing spiral or auger packing blades ll mounted on a sha-ft l2 journalled in appropriate bearings and adapted to be operated by a crank 13.

The material with which the shell is to be filled is first prepared and consists of approximately 20% inert material and approximately 80% water. This plastic or semiliquid mass is Acarefully prepared, freed from air, and placed in the hopper of the packing device. This material may of course be composed of the ingredients heretofore. suggested or any that may be found appropriate and the term ceramic, as used in lthe claims, is intended to have such interpretation. rlhe lowereiid of the packing device is inserted within' the open end of the shell, being provided with a flange 14C around its lower end, which' ills the cross-area oi' the shell, as shown. :By turning the crank 13, the mass in the hopper is forced into the shell, and as the mass is forced through the lower end of. the packing device, said paching device raises until the shell is filled the point desired adjacent to the top.

The head s is tlien placed in position, as indicated in Figure 3, after which the top oi the shell is swaged inward to impinge against the taperededge of the head,- as indicated in l vention, what we claim as new and desire to Figure 4. The joint between the head and the shell is then welded, when the device is having each cylinder tested hydrostatically.

In Figure 5 is shown the hydrostatic testing outfit 16, attached to a small cylinder 17 secured in the valve opening in the head and containing a small additional quantity of the plastic material. rlhe hydrostatic test is then applied, and if, because of any imperfection in the filling operation there should be any voids or spaces in-the mass of material, this additional quantity in the small cylinder 17 will be forced into the large cylinder and such spaces or voids filled up, thus insuring a uniform porosity and packing of the material throughout the cylinder.

After the test is completed, the cylinder may be weighed and its weight recorded. It is then ready lfor the baking process to which all plastic materials of thisnature and for this purpose are subjected. When the baking is completed, the cylinder is again weighed and the difference between the original weight and the weight after bakin will define the amount of water driven o and, from this, the porosity of the cylinder can be readily calculated.

By this method, we are able to know definitely concerning the porous space, or porosity, of` such dissolved acetylene cylinders, whereas, by the process in present use, this information cannot be obtained of a definite and reliable characterbecause of the reasons v heretofore given. j

The maximum porosity desired for actylene cylinders of this character is 80%, and by this method we are able to gauge this porosity to exactly the degree desired to secure the best results.

Having thus fully described our said insecure' by Letters Patent, is:

1. The method of filling containers' with porous substance which consists in packing sald contalner wlth a ceramic mass of predetermlned conslstency, closing the open end of the container, applying the hydrostatic liquidl ceramic material, closing the open end of said cylinder, placing in communication therewith a small cylinder containing an additional supply of said semi-liquid material, applying hydrostatic pressure to said small cylinder, and then subjecting the cylinder to a baking process, substantially asv set forth.

4. T he process of filling cylinders for containing dissolved acetylene with porousv material which consists in filling the cylinder with a prepared ceramic mass in semi-liquid form, closing the cylinder, attaching a smaller cylinder containing a portion of the filling mass, applying hydrostatic pressure thereto, and baking, substantially as set forth.

5. The process of filling dissolved acetylene cylinders with porous material which consists in first filling the cylinder with a prepared semi-liquid ceramic mass, closing the cylinder, forcing a further supply. of

said material thereinto under approprlate pressure, and then baking, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, we have hereunto set our hands-and seals at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 22nd day of June, A. D. nineteen 100 hundred and sixteen.

ORAMEL H. SKINNER. [L s] HENRY SIDNEY SMITH. [L s] Witnesses j JACOB HARDING, MORRIS Mosiiowrrz. 

